The Witch Collector Part II Read Online Free PDF

didn’t look this high from down there.”
    “It never does,” he said, laughing. His voice was so loud. I started to sweat in my down-filled parka.
    “Everyone else headed for the milder drop,” he said. “You’re the only one who attempted this run.”
    “Maybe I’m just stupid,” I replied, then immediately wanted to take it back. He was up here, too. “Sorry. I meant—”
    “I know what you meant,” Gavin said. “But I think you’re wrong. Look down, Breeda.”
    The sun flashed brilliantly against the neon whiteness of the snow. The world below me sparkled with life: iced treetops and cottages and lakes that glistened like diamonds.
    “It’s all yours,” Gavin said, crouching next to me. “No reason to be afraid of it.”
    And then he smiled, placed his strong hands on my back, and pushed.
    The alley came back into focus, and the first clear thing I saw was Brandon stopping in his tracks and running back to me. “Hurry!” he screamed. He pulled at my arm and I stumbled after him, magic pulsing angrily in my lungs.
    At the end of the alley, I snuck a look behind us. A shadowed figure advanced, eyes glinting in the moonlight. As it grew closer I saw the silver chains loosely circling its neck. Another figure, shorter and with dark hair spiking from its head, walked behind him.
    “Wait!” I tried to yell, but the magic buried my voice. Brandon tore down the block, assuming I was right behind him. My limbs felt like jelly, and I fell to my knees on the unforgiving cement.
    Evie approached me, tugging hard on the demon’s chains so I stayed just outside his reach. He writhed and pushed toward me, and I heard the sound of burning flesh. That, combined with the aftereffects of Brandon’s magic, set my head spinning. I bent over the sidewalk, retching.
    “Nice,” Evie said drily. “It’s no wonder you’re so popular.”

Chapter 4
    E vie tied the squirming demon to a telephone pole, then half dragged me back to Dobra’s garden. While I slumped against the fire pit, trying to control the magic wreaking havoc in my system, she picked up a gardening tool. “Copper,” she sighed, rubbing at her arms with it. “So much better than protected silver. It feels great, like a deep-tissue massage. One of the few perks of alchemy.”
    “Why did you bring the demon?” I asked, still breathing heavily. “Are you crazy?”
    “Like a fox,” she said. “I was going to destroy him, but then I figured he probably wasn’t bewitched anymore, so he’d be hell-bent on killing the witch who bewitched him in the first place.”
    “So the demon is your bloodhound.”
    Evie smiled. “You have my sense of humor,” she said. “But yes, I thought he might be. Obviously, he’s still after you, though, so we’ve got to wait it out.”
    “Because you don’t have any better ideas yet for finding my parents.”
    Evie narrowed her eyes, studying me. “I’ve always got ideas, niece. It’s just a matter of picking through the best ones. How about you? Transition’s not going all that well, is it?”
    “It’s getting . . . better,” I replied. “I’ve found someone who can help me train to control my magic.”
    “Seriously? Who?”
    “Dobra’s son. He lives here.”
    “Well, he obviously knows what he’s doing,” she snapped, glancing at my neck. “A witch should never be without a talisman, especially during the transition.”
    “It’s not Miro’s fault I don’t have one on.”
    “Is this Miro the boy I just saw you with? The sprinter?”
    “No, that was Brandon,” I answered. “ Gavin’s son. He freaked when he saw the demon.”
    “Well, he’s smart; I’ll give him that,” Evie said. She put her feet up on the low wall next to me, and whistled. “That family certainly gets around.”
    I sat forward, sending a stabbing pain through my lungs. “What did you find out about Gavin?”
    “My contact swears he’s in the city and I have no reason to doubt her. Others have heard of his